This is probably too critical and over thinking it, but I wonder what Alice and by extension, Jasper, get from being in a Coven. They seem to be in a world of their own most of the time. What benefit do they get from this very weird family dynamic, especially with the fact that they were not sired by Carlisle?
I know Alice saw this vision of it all, but her vision's can't be trusted. Why did she trust that one out of all the others? And again, she sees this odd dynamic and..okay? She has to roleplay a teenager for life while drinking blood that never fully satisfies her. After having so much freedom by herself and with Jasper, why would she choose that?
Ofc she chooses it because that's what SM wants, but it's just weird. Rosalie and Emmett were dragged into this life, but A/J weren't. Why are they so tied and almost indebuted to the cullens? Very odd. But maybe I'm missing a big picture here
It almost feels like a 'fated mate' situation but it's more that for Alice it's a 'fated family.' Her first vision as a vampire was of Jasper, but Carlisle (and Edward, given the timeline) was next. They appeared to her without her making any choices, really, as best I can tell from how her backstory is described in the guide. The future isn't set in stone, but Alice/Jasper and Alice joining the Cullens were. Because reasons. Because fate. Because SM willed it so.
I've seen it theorized that it was for Jasper, too. That Alice alone couldn't help him with this vegetarian thing, and that because of his gift he needed to go the vegetarian route for his mental health. I never got the sense that he "needs" them as a family but I can sort of buy that Alice 'saw' that they would need the OG vegetarian to help him adapt, and so they show up on Carlisle's doorstep. Living with a big group of other vegetarians helps keep him accountable, and Alice appreciates the creature comforts. Like, sure, she could make money on her own and all that, but she's 19 and people assume she is younger because of how small she is, so it might just be easier to sort reap the benefits of Carlisle's established 'real adult' identity and experience navigating the human world?
Another possible reason, I guess, is because of how powerful Alice is. Someday the Volturi would find out about what she could do, so her choices were basically: join the Volturi, or join a coven big enough that the Volturi would hesitate before moving against them to try to forcibly recruit her. In THAT sense, allying with the Cullens probably would make sense to Jasper. They're one of the largest covens, they've already got Edward's gift and Emmett's brawn before Jasper himself even joins up. I could see how, strategically, he could believe it's the best way to keep Alice safe.
I also can buy that extroverted, perky Alice thrives among people, and that having a 'family' might be desirable to her since she doesn't remember her human one. I fully believe Jasper would be fine just wandering the earth with only Alice by his side, but I think she does appreciate the novelty of having "parents" and "siblings" and feeling a part of something, since she woke up alone and (seemingly) abandoned.
Pretending to be high school students is still weird and unnecessary, though.
